We have a range of FREE cross-curricular sessions available!
Our sessions fill up quickly, so please book early to avoid disappointment.
The zoo is large with lots to see, so we recommend primary pupils only attend one session.
Available KS2 Sessions
Click on an education session for more detail including curriculum links.
An educational visit to the zoo will assist you in the teaching of ‘British Values’ and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. (SMSC)
Live animals are not used in any session. Many sessions use real bones, furs, feathers, and skins which are Customs seizures from animals hunted in the wild.
Please be aware, that although sessions are FREE, Colchester Zoo reserves the right to charge a £20 fee educational sessions which are booked but not attended.
Detailed Session Descriptions:
Adaptations – KS2
What adaptations do animals have? As a group, we’ll decide which bits of costume volunteers will dress-up in to demonstrate the major characteristics of Predators, Prey, and for older children adaptations to live in Hot and Cold places.
Click to view National Curriculum Links
Year 3
Science – Animals, including humans: identify that animals need the right types and amounts of nutrition (compare and contrast the diets of different animals).
Year 4
Science – Living things and their habitats: recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways; identify and name a variety of living things in their wider environment.
Science – Animals, including humans: identify the different types of teeth and their simple functions.
Year 6
Science – Living things and their habitats: describe how living things are classified into broad groups according to common observable characteristics and based on similarities and differences.
Science – Evolution and inheritance: identify how animals are adapted to suit their environments in different ways.
African Animals – Lower KS2
Discover the four main habitats of Africa and learn cool facts about some of the animals that live there. Focus on mountain animals, desert animals, rainforest animals, and savannah animals.
Click to view National Curriculum Links
Year 3
Science – Animals, including humans: identify that some animals have skeletons and muscles for support, protection and movement.
Geography – Locational knowledge: locate the world’s countries, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics.
Geography – Human and physical geography: describe and understand key aspects of physical geography.
Year 4
Science – Living things and their habitats: recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways; identify and name a variety of living things in their wider environment.
Geography – Locational knowledge: locate the world’s countries, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics.
Geography – Human and physical geography: describe and understand key aspects of physical geography.
Art – KS2
Pupils will each be given their very own wildlife sketchbook. They’ll then get the chance to learn how some great British wildlife and animal artists use sketching and recording wildlife to help scientists understand the animals. Pupils will learn how to classify animals into different groups (mammals, birds, etc.) and what key features to include when sketching or recording details from each group. Pupils will then get the chance to get hands-on and examine animal artefacts (skulls, furs, etc.) up close and practice their techniques.
Click to view National Curriculum Links
Year 3
Science – Animals, including humans: identify that some animals have skeletons and muscles for support, protection and movement.
Art and Design: create sketchbooks to record their observations; improve mastery of techniques by using a range of materials; learn about great artists in history.
Year 4
Science – Living things and their habitats: recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways; explore and use classification keys to help group, identify and name a variety of living things.
Art and Design: create sketchbooks to record their observations; improve mastery of techniques by using a range of materials; learn about great artists in history.
Year 5
Art and Design: create sketchbooks to record their observations; improve mastery of techniques by using a range of materials; learn about great artists in history.
Year 6
Science – Living things and their habitats: describe how living things are classified into broad groups according to common observable characteristics and based on similarities and differences; give reasons for classifying animals based on specific characterises.
Art and Design: create sketchbooks to record their observations; improve mastery of techniques by using a range of materials; learn about great artists in history.
Darwin Explorers – Upper KS2
Learn about Darwin’s big ideas through hands-on activities with real specimens. Pupils will travel back in time to the era of the Victorian naturalist. Armed with field journals, they’ll hunt for beetles and other insects just as a young Charles Darwin did using similar skills to identify and classify their finds. Continuing on the adventure, pupils focus on Darwin’s later work. Hands-on with real scientific study skins, pupils compare bird beaks and feet to investigate how birds are adapted to specific diets. The study of bird beaks is then related back to the idea of evolution through natural selection.
Click to view National Curriculum Links
Year 6
Science – evolution and inheritance: recognise that living things have changed over time; identify how animals and plants are adapted to suit their environment in different ways and that adaptation may lead to evolution; (non-statutory) pupils might find out about how Charles Darwin developed ideas on evolution.
History: a study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066; specifically the life of Charles Darwin and the Victorian naturalists.
Exploring Classification – KS2
Pupils will have the chance to explore and investigate a wide selection of animal artifacts (including real furs, feathers, and reptile scales). Together as a group we will learn about historic classification methods, and the taxon groups used by scientists today. Working in groups pupils will determine key characteristic for the groups. The entire class will then use these characteristics to sort the objects into these groups.
Click to view National Curriculum Links
Year 3
Science – Working scientifically: identifying differences, similarities or changes; using straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support their findings.
Science – Animals, including humans: identify that some animals have skeletons and muscles for support, protection and movement.
Year 4
Science – Working scientifically: identifying differences, similarities or changes; using straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support their findings.
Science – Living things and their habitats: recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways; explore and use classification to help group, identify and name a variety of living things.
Year 5
Science – Living things and their habitats: describe the differences in the life cycle of a mammal, an amphibian, an insect and a bird.
Year 6
Science – Living things and their habitats: describe how living things are classified into broad groups according to common observable characteristics and based on similarities and differences; give reasons for classifying plants and animals based on specific characteristics.
Habitats – KS2
Animals live everywhere in the world, how do they live in such diverse habitats? Students will learn habitat characteristics, and discover some of the cool adaptions that let animals live there.
Click to view National Curriculum Links
Year 3
Science – Plants: explore the requirements of plants for life and growth.
Geography: locate the world’s countries concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics.
Geography: describe and understand key aspects of physical geography.
Year 4
Science – Living things and their habitats: recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways.
Geography: locate the world’s countries concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics.
Geography: describe and understand key aspects of physical geography.
Year 5
Geography: locate the world’s countries concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics.
Geography: describe and understand key aspects of physical geography.
Year 6
Science – Evolution and inheritance: identify how animals and plants are adapted to suit their environment in different ways.
Geography: locate the world’s countries concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics.
Geography: describe and understand key aspects of physical geography.
Lifecycles – Lower KS2
Pupils investigate how different animals grow and develop. A variety of hands-on activities bring this topic to life as pupils examine replica eggs and play games to explore the various life stages of different organisms.
Click to view National Curriculum Links
Year 3
Science – Animals, including humans: identify that some animals have skeletons and muscles for support, protection and movement.
Year 4
Science – Living things and their habitats: recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways.
Maths: Measure, Means and More! – KS2
Pupils will get hands-on working in small groups to practice maths skills in a fun, interactive way. Groups rotate around different activities that often involve real animal artefacts and hands-on maths. Activities are tailored depending on age and may include: comparing patterns on tortoise shells, measuring snake skins, solving calculations involving enclosure size, using fractions to classify animals and more!
Click to view National Curriculum Links
Year 3 Maths
Number: solve number and practical problems involving number and place value; addition and subtraction; multiplication and division; and fractions.
Measurement: measure, compare, add and subtract: lengths, mass, volume/capacity; measure the perimeter of simple 2-D shapes; estimate and read time; compare durations of events.
Statistics: interpret and present data; solve one-step and two-step questions using information present in scaled bar charts, pictograms, and tables.
Year 4 Maths
Number: solve number and practical problems involving number and place value; addition and subtraction; multiplication and division; and fractions all with increasingly large positive numbers and involving two-step problems.
Measurement: convert between different units of measurement; measure and calculate perimeter; estimate, compare and calculate different measurements.
Statistics: solve comparison, sum and difference problems using information presented in bar charts, pictograms, tables, and other graphs.
Year 5 Maths
Number: solve practical problems involving number and place value; addition and subtraction; multiplication and division; scaling; fractions and per cent; all including two step problems and involving operations and methods.
Measurement: convert between different units of metric measurement; measure and calculate perimeter; estimate volumes; use all four operations to solve problems involving measure using decimal notation, including scaling.
Statistics: solve comparison, sum and difference problems using information presented in a line graph; complete, read and interpret information in tables.
Year 6 Maths
Number: solve practical problems involving number and place value; addition and subtraction; multiplication and division; rounding; fractions and per cent; including multiple step problems and estimations.
Ratio and proportion: solve problems involving the calculation of percentages, and the use of percentages for comparison; solve problems involving unequal sharing and grouping using knowledge of fractions and multiples.
Measurement: solve problems involving the calculation and conversion of units of measure; use, read, write and convert between standard units; recognise when it is possible to use formulae for area and volume of shape.
Statistics: calculate and interpret the mean as an average.
This session does not teach maths skills, but rather focuses on solving real world maths in a unique way designed to engage, excite and inspire pupils.
Plants & Animals – KS2
Pupils will discover some of the fascinating ways animals can help and harm plants. Children will get to have a go at being botanists and identifying leaves using dichotomous keys, as well as learning about major plant types and plant structure. The use of animal skulls will also illustrate which animals might like to eat plants.
Click to view National Curriculum Links
Year 3
Science – Plants: identify and describe the functions of different parts of flowering plants: roots, stem/trunk, leaves and flowers; explore the requirements of plants for life and growth (air, light, water, nutrients from soil, and room to grow) and how they vary from plant to plant; explore the part that flowers play in the life cycle of flowering plants, including pollination, seed.
Science – Animals, including humans: identify that animals need the right types and amount of nutrition, and that they cannot make their own food; they get nutrition from what they eat.
Science – Working scientifically: Using simple guides or keys to explore and identify local plants; make systematic and careful observations; using straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support their findings.
Year 4
Science – Living things and their habitats: recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways; explore and use classification keys to help group, identify and name a variety of living things in their wider environment.
Science – Animals, including humans: identify the different types of teeth in humans and their simple functions.
Science – Working scientifically: Using simple guides or keys to explore and identify local plants; make systematic and careful observations; using straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support their findings.
Rainforest Layers – Lower KS2
Rainforests are a unique habitat because they are divided into layers. Students will learn about the emergent, canopy, understory and forest floor layers of the rainforest and about the animals that live at each level.
Click to view National Curriculum Links
Year 3
Science – Animals, including humans: identify that some animals have skeletons and muscles for support, protection and movement.
Geography – Locational knowledge: locate the world’s countries, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics.
Geography – Human and physical geography: describe and understand key aspects of physical geography.
Year 4
Science – Living things and their habitats: recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways; identify and name a variety of living things in their wider environment.
Geography – Locational knowledge: locate the world’s countries, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics.
Geography – Human and physical geography: describe and understand key aspects of physical geography.
Rainforest Threats – Upper KS2
Rainforests are amazing places full of diverse plants and animals. Unfortunately, rainforests are threatened. This includes individual endangered animal species and habitat loss threatening everything that lives in them. Students will learn about these incredible places and what they can do to help save them.
Click to view National Curriculum Links
Year 5
Geography – Locational knowledge: locate the world’s countries, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics; identify the position and significance of Equator, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.
Geography – Human and physical geography: describe and understand key aspects of human geography including economic activity, and the distribution of natural resources; describe and understand key aspects of physical geography.
Citizenship – Preparing to play an active role as citizens: pupils should be taught that resources can be allocated in different ways and that these economic choices affect the sustainability of the environment.
Citizenship – Breath of opportunity: pupils should be taught the knowledge, skills and understanding through opportunities to meet and talk with people who contribute to society through environmental groups.
Year 6
Science – Living things and their habitats: describe how living things are classified into broad groups according to common observable characteristics and based on similarities and differences.
Science – Evolution and inheritance: identify how animals are adapted to suit their environments in different ways.
Geography – Locational knowledge: locate the world’s countries, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics; identify the position and significance of Equator, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.
Geography – Human and physical geography: describe and understand key aspects of human geography including economic activity, and the distribution of natural resources; describe and understand key aspects of physical geography.
Citizenship – Preparing to play an active role as citizens: pupils should be taught that resources can be allocated in different ways and that these economic choices affect the sustainability of the environment.
Citizenship – Breath of opportunity: pupils should be taught the knowledge, skills and understanding through opportunities to meet and talk with people who contribute to society through environmental groups.
Saving Endangered Animals – KS2
Why are animals dying out? Is this natural and normal? What are these animals’ major threats? What can I do to help? These are all questions which will be answered during this session. The session is delivered in an upbeat and interactive way, focusing on guessing games and what we can do to help.
Click to view National Curriculum Links
Year 4
Science – Living things and their habitats: recognise that environments can change and that this can sometimes pose dangers to living things.
Geography – Human and physical geography: describe and understand key aspects of human geography including economic activity, and the distribution of natural resources.
Citizenship – Preparing to play an active role as citizens: pupils should be taught that resources can be allocated in different ways and that these economic choices affect the sustainability of the environment.
Citizenship – Breadth of opportunities: pupils should be taught the knowledge, skills and understanding through opportunities to meet and talk with people who contribute to society through environmental groups.
Year 5
Geography – Human and physical geography: describe and understand key aspects of human geography including economic activity, and the distribution of natural resources.
Citizenship – Preparing to play an active role as citizens: pupils should be taught that resources can be allocated in different ways and that these economic choices affect the sustainability of the environment.
Citizenship – Breadth of opportunities: pupils should be taught the knowledge, skills and understanding through opportunities to meet and talk with people who contribute to society through environmental groups.
Year 6
Science – Evolution and inheritance: identify how animals are adapted to suit their environments in different ways.
Geography – Human and physical geography: describe and understand key aspects of human geography including economic activity, and the distribution of natural resources.
Citizenship – Preparing to play an active role as citizens: pupils should be taught that resources can be allocated in different ways and that these economic choices affect the sustainability of the environment.
Citizenship – Breadth of opportunities: pupils should be taught the knowledge, skills and understanding through opportunities to meet and talk with people who contribute to society through environmental groups.
STEM @ the Zoo – Upper KS2
From the secret science of zookeeping, to amazing advances in conservation tech, and building new animal enclosures, there is lots of STEM at the zoo!
The session starts with an introduction to the job role of zookeeping. This includes potential career pathways into the industry and specific job roles and tasks with a focus on STEM in the workplace. Next, an interactive activity has pupils evaluating an early prototype of a zoo enclosure whilst investigating how the zoo uses the STEM Design (engineering design / iterative design) process to consider the needs of users and improve on early designs. The session finishes by exploring some of the cutting-edge technology which is being used to help save endangered species and how zoos are involved in this process.
Click to view National Curriculum Links
Year 5
Science – Working scientifically: planning different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions
Design and Technology: Design: use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups.
Design and Technology: Evaluate: investigate and analyse a range of existing products.
PSHE: Careers: Links between the STEM curriculum and careers. the requirements for a career in zookeeping, as well as career pathways into these job roles, including a variety of routes into the career. Learn about careers from external employers.
Citizenship – Preparing to play an active role as citizens: pupils should be taught that resources can be allocated in different ways and that these economic choices affect the sustainability of the environment.
Citizenship – Breath of opportunity: pupils should be taught the knowledge, skills and understanding through opportunities to meet and talk with people who contribute to society through environmental groups.
Year 6
Science – Working scientifically: planning different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions
Science – Evolution and inheritance:
Design and Technology: Design: use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups.
Design and Technology: Evaluate: investigate and analyse a range of existing products.
PSHE: Careers: Links between the STEM curriculum and careers. the requirements for a career in zookeeping, as well as career pathways into these job roles, including a variety of routes into the career. Learn about careers from external employers.
Citizenship – Preparing to play an active role as citizens: pupils should be taught that resources can be allocated in different ways and that these economic choices affect the sustainability of the environment.
Citizenship – Breath of opportunity: pupils should be taught the knowledge, skills and understanding through opportunities to meet and talk with people who contribute to society through environmental groups.
Who Eats Who? – KS2
What do animals eat? What eats them? A variety of hands-on activities help students learn about herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores and how they link together into food chains. There are also lots of skulls to examine to get a better understanding of how teeth work.
Click to view National Curriculum Links
Year 3
Science – Plants: explore the requirements of plants for life and growth.
Science – Animals, including humans: identify that animals need the right types and amount of nutrition, and that they cannot make their own food; they get nutrition from what they eat.
Year 4
Science – Living things and their habitats: recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways.
Science – Animals, including humans: identify the different types of teeth and their simple functions; construct and interpret a variety of food chains; identifying producers.
Year 6
Science – Living things and their habitats: describe how living things are classified into broad groups according to common observable characteristics and based on similarities and differences.
Science – Evolution and inheritance: identify how animals are adapted to suit their environments in different ways.
The Zoo Debate : Good or Bad? – KS2
At Colchester Zoo, we recognise that there are many different viewpoints about zoos. In this session, students are introduced to the concept of formal arguments and how facts (not opinions) are required for strong arguments and counter arguments. Students will also be introduced to the concept of ‘bias’ and why it is important to consider the validity of sources. After this introduction to formal arguments (including claims and evidence), as a group we will consider some of the main arguments against zoos and their (evidence-based) counter arguments. This includes discussion of the animal welfare, reintroductions, zoo conservation efforts and more.
As part of this session, teachers are provided with a digital teacher pack to continue the learning back at school. The packs contain critical reading exercises (both for zoos and against zoos), as well as worksheets to assess student learning. Based on their learning and reading, pupils write letters on their opinions which can be sent to the zoo, and our zoo experts will send a reply back.
Click to view National Curriculum Links
Years 5 and 6
English: Reading – comprehension: discuss and evaluate how authors use language, considering the impact on the reader; distinguish between statements of fact and opinion; retrieve, record and present information from non-fiction; explain and discuss their understanding of what they have read; provide reasoned justifications for their views.English: Writing – composition: plan their writing by identifying and audience for and the purpose of the writing; noting and developing initial ideas, drawing on reading and research.
Science – Working Scientifically: reporting and presenting findings from enquiries; identify scientific evidence that has been used to support or refute ideas or arguments.
Citizenship – Preparing to play a role as an active citizen: research, discuss and debate topical issues, problems and events.
